132 Conflic (1/2)
As the group of espers fled, Ed frowned. ”Something isn't right. They should be chasing after us.”
”Right.” Rubi agreed while glancing down through the fog. ”It's not like we're moving slow like when we snuck in, and they should have at least a few espers capable of sensing us by now.”
”Hmm.” Tai looked down, carefully examining any prominent espers in high-ranking uniform on the ground. ”There.” He pointed towards a tall man in a green uniform. ”I recognize that man. He serves a party opposing the current ruling party. That actually explains why help didn't come sooner for them. I'm guessing he's more than happy we eliminated their biggest political opponent, and by letting us escape, the entire incident can be pinned on the failure of Prime Minister Souma and his leading general. Not to mention the scandals that'll come out if word spreads of what Camazotz's powers were being used for.”
”Tsk.” Ed clicked his tongue. ”Seems politics is dirty in every country.”
”Mm.” The others agreed as they continued flying forward, easily leaving Mount Fuji behind. Soon, they returned to the ship and set sail to sea.
...
The next morning. After a night of rest, Tai, Ed, and Rubi met privately for breakfast.
”So.” Tai said after biting into some rice. ”How long will it take you to prepare Camazotz's body?”
Ed finished eating his omelet and wiped his mouth. ”Hard to say...” He hesitated. ”I've never converted the flesh of a purple mutant before. So far, it's been naturally rejecting my powers. I'm guessing it could take a month or two to flush out the original mana so that I can properly mold it.”
Tai frowned. ”Will waiting that long degrade the quality?”
”It shouldn't.” He shook his head. ”Normally it's better to use fresher flesh. It's even better if the body is still alive. But in this case, it's a bit different. The mana will naturally preserve the body in its best state until I flush it all out. We'll do the transformations immediately after.”
”Alright.” Tai nodded while rubbing his chin. ”Since we need to wait anyways, I think I'll have you start working part-time each day on my crew's transformations. We'll delay our return to china and head to some islands south of Japan. There are some colonies of sea python mutants that have taken them over, and they're the ideal type of chimeras I want.”
”Why pythons...?” Ed questioned curiously.
”Naturally because they're similar to the Chinese dragons of ancient myths and legends.” Tai smiled. ”Maybe we'll catch some bird or bat mutants as well so they can all be given wings.”
”Whatever floats your boat.” Ed shrugged as he returned to his meal, digging into a side of hash browns.
”Ahem.” Rubi coughed into her hand to grab their attention. ”I think we need to discuss Haru and Hina.”
”Discuss what?” Tai frowned. ”You said you'd take responsibility for them.”
”That...” She hesitated as an awkward expression covered her face. ”I want to, but they won't wake up. They're both in comas and none of the medically experienced espers on board know what's wrong. I've even had a few espers with healing related powers take a crack at them with no success.”
”And? What do you want me to do about it?” Tai questioned, slightly annoyed at having even brought the children with them.
”Not you.” Rubi frowned and turned to Ed. ”I know your powers are capable of a lot, and I've heard about some of the experiments you've done in the past. I want you to look at them.”
”And why should I do that?” Ed questioned while raising an eyebrow. ”They have no relation to me at all. I guess you could pay me a few purple mana-cores...”
”I don't have any!” She frowned. ”I traded them all to keep my members alive in the cage. I had no reason to save them up at the time. Besides, don't think I forgot about how you screwed my sister!”
”Screwed your sister?!” Ed repeated in confused shock. ”What are you talking about? I'll have you know I'm still a virgin.”
”Pfft.” Tai spit out his drink as he listened in on the conversation. ”Please excuse me.” He said as he stood up from the table while wiping his mouth with a cloth napkin. ”I'll leave you two to your... private discussion.” Not giving the two a chance to protest, he quickly left the room.
”DAMN IT!” Rubi shouted as she slammed her fist against the table. ”That's not what I meant, and you know it! Now you've given Tai a bad impression of me!”
”Given Tai a bad impression?” Ed rose an eyebrow while glancing towards the direction Tai had left. Slowly, the realization set in, and he smiled. ”You've got a thing for Tai!” He laughed. ”No wonder you're following him across an entire ocean!”
”SHUT UP!” Her wooden chair screeched as she hurriedly stood up. Her hand moving so fast it blurred, she grabbed ahold of Ed's collar. ”You disabled the mech tank right in the middle of the battle at the fort. You could've gotten my sister inside killed!” Flames appeared around her eyes as she grew increasingly angry.
”Hey, you're the one that stole it in the first place.” He scoffed, no fear in his eyes. ”Besides, that thing was practically impenetrable, and it could still move. I'm guessing she escaped just fine?”
”That's beside the point!” She yelled. ”You're going to help Haru and Hina to make up for what you've done! Understand?!”
”What if I don't want to?” Ed grinned while mocking her. ”And do you even have a sister? I've never seen her before.”
”You're really testing my patience!” Rubi's body began to shake, seemingly vibrating. The ships started to sway as her power passed through the floor.